The Ghana Navy has rescued seven male suspected stowaways from the rudder trunk of a Belgian-registered crude oil tanker, the MT Cap Felix, following a distress call on Wednesday, 13 May 2026.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Abidjan alerted Ghanaian authorities after the 82,000-ton vessel, which had recently departed Abidjan, raised an emergency alert whilst operating approximately 200 nautical miles south of Tema Harbour.
Commodore Solomon Asiedu-Larbi, Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command, confirmed that the Ghana Navy Ship (GNS) Achimota, commanded by Commander Ishmeal Kofi Quansah, was immediately deployed from Tema Harbour at approximately 7:00 pm to intercept the tanker.
Naval officers successfully extracted the suspects, who preliminary investigations suggest are members of a Ghanaian community residing in Côte d’Ivoire who boarded the vessel illegally while it was anchored in Ivorian waters.
The suspects have been handed over to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Ghana Immigration Service, and the Marine Police for profiling, further investigation, and potential prosecution.
